Protect outdoor and hot indoor workers: water, rest, shade, acclimatization, monitoring and emergency response.
Heat illness can escalate quickly. New and returning workers are at higher risk in their first days.
Some states, such as California, have specific heat illness standards, and federal rules are developing. Check the rules for your location.
13 items. Keep it on a tablet, or print a copy for the clipboard.
On a 98°F day, a landscaping crew starts at 6 am, takes extra shaded breaks and finishes heavy work by noon. A new hire works shorter blocks for the first week.
Heat illness can move from cramps to heat stroke within hours, and OSHA has used its general duty clause to cite employers who leave workers exposed to recognized heat hazards. A daily checklist shows that water, shade, rest and emergency steps were in place on the days the risk was highest.
| Date | July 22 |
|---|---|
| Forecast | High 101°F, heat index 108°F by 2 pm |
| Water and shade | 3 coolers, 15 gallons; canopy at each work zone |
| Rest breaks | 10 minutes in shade every hour after 10 am |
| New workers | Eli, day 2, half-hour work blocks |
| Emergency | Site address on truck dash, ice tub ready |
| Supervisor checks | Dee, every 30 minutes |
Sample for Cactus Ridge Roofing in Phoenix, Arizona. The heat index is filled in, not just the high, because it moves the day into a higher risk band, and breaks run by the clock so nobody has to ask to stop.
Federal rules have been under development; some states have their own.
Gradually increasing heat exposure over days.
Rest breaks under 20 minutes are generally paid work time.
Heavy sweating, dizziness, confusion and more; train on them.
Use the heat index rather than air temperature, since humidity keeps sweat from cooling the body. OSHA’s heat safety tool, for example, treats a heat index of 91 to 103 degrees as moderate risk and higher readings as high or very high, so write your trigger points on the checklist.
They can, since ovens, dock doors and poor airflow can push indoor heat high enough to cause illness. California and Oregon have rules that reach indoor heat, and the same checklist works with readings taken inside.
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In EZTime, a routine like this can run as a recurring task assigned to a person, team or location, with photo proof and an alert when it is late.